West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere has delivered a positive update on his fitness after his “frustrating” injury setback last season.
The former Arsenal man was forced to endure a difficult first campaign at the London Stadium as a serious ankle injury required surgery, leaving him to play just eight times for the Hammers.
Having returned to action in the final weeks of the 2018/19 season, Wilshere has revealed that he is finally feeling back to full fitness, having started three out of the club’s four games across all competitions this season.
He admitted it was difficult to be sidelined so soon after joining the Irons and that he is making up for lost time during the current campaign.
Wilshere told the Daily Mail: “It’s been a tough time since I’ve been here and now I finally feel I’m over those problems.
“I’m working every day of the week. I’m improving, I’ve played some games, got some minutes and I feel like I can really push on now. It’s difficult when you come to a new club. You want to have a period of time in the team.
“It was frustrating and I didn’t feel I was part of the team. It was important for me to have a good pre-season, stay around the boys and be training and improving every day.”
Opinion
There are plenty of people out there who believe that a fully-fit Jack Wilshere can be one of the best midfielders England has to offer. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, you have to cast your mind back some way to remember the last time he was firing on all cylinders. Even this season he has not been fit enough to complete a full match, the 2-0 win over Newport County the closest he has come with 82 minutes under his belt. It may well be a case of Manuel Pellegrini managing his playing time and making sure the former Gunner is not over-worked in the middle of the pitch. Wilshere will always be a case of what might have been but he still has time on his side. If he can avoid any more serious layoffs, this could be the season that he hits his full potential. Considering he is the most creative out of the three deep-lying midfielders at West Ham, they could do with him out on the pitch rather than in the treatment room.
